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Premier League Clubs Given 'Restart Schedule' For Planned June 8th Return

Premier League Clubs Given 'Restart Schedule' For Planned June 8th Return

The plans could change if no new softened lockdown measures are confirmed by Boris Johnson next week, meaning the return is pushed back.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

The Premier League have sent out 'return schedules' to clubs as part of 'Project Restart' as England's top tier tries to get back under way on June 8th.

According to reports the second week of June is when the Premier League could return to action, after a few months without football, and now clubs have been sent more clear plans of how that will happen.

The Telegraph say that clubs have been told the timeline for the report and are hoping that next week's announcement by Boris Johnson will see some social distancing softened, allowing for training for begin on May 18th.

The government extended the nationwide lockdown by three weeks and that period is almost over, with Johnson to make an announcement next week on what happens next.

Should the May 7th announcement allow it players would get tested that weekend, May 9th and 10th, and could be back in training in small groups on May 11th.

Full training sessions would then start a week later and three weeks after that football, in theory, would resume being played, with 92 games left to play of the campaign and the end of July a likely deadline for the league to finish.

Training at Manchester City will look a lot different to this. Image: Manchester City
Training at Manchester City will look a lot different to this. Image: Manchester City

Plans for the return will be discussed further between clubs at the weekly Premier League meeting on Friday and a number of other details will also be up for debate.

Top of the list will be players having to wear masks, or snoods, during training sessions whilst all equipment will have to be disinfected before and after sessions by staff wearing PPE.

Players will be allowed in groups on no more than five initially, as happened in the Bundesliga, and they'll only be allowed inside the training blocks to use the toilets, whilst cars will need to be parked three spaces away.

They'll also be no use of massages unless medically cleared by team doctors and liquids will be left in specifically designated areas for during and post sessions.

According to the Daily Mail the plans could be over before they really begin if the government decide to keep full lockdown going until June, which is a possibility.

The fear of a second wave of the virus is leading to caution over softening social distancing rules as the government don't want to have to implement similar measures later in the year again.

Gary Neville has been amongst the most vocal of pundits suggesting that football shouldn't restart and on Wednesday questioned whether risking the health of footballers was worth it.

Even FIFA's medical chief Michel D'Hooghe has called for the sport to follow Ligue 1 and not return until September, a decision that was made by the French government.

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Topics: Manchester City, Spurs, Liverpool, Football News, Chelsea, Manchester United, Ligue 1, Premier League, England, Arsenal, Gary Neville, Bundesliga